Tirupati:The ruling alliance has secured Punganur municipality in Annamayya district, with Telugu Desam candidate Nayim Taj elected unopposed as chairperson and alliance candidates winning unopposed in 32 of the 36 wards.

Contests remain in the other four wards, according to official records.

The outcome marks a reversal of the 2021 municipal election results, when the YSR Congress won all the 31 wards. Following delimitation, the municipality now has 36 wards. The YSRC did not file nominations for the chairperson’s post or any ward member position during the nomination period.

This, amid allegations that opposition candidates were prevented from filing nominations. Former minister and senior YSRC leader Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy alleged obstructions in Punganur and other places. The party approached courts seeking relief and an opportunity for its candidates to contest. The ruling alliance denied wrongdoing.

The Supreme Court directed the state election commission (SEC) to examine complaints and supporting evidence, including electronic records, and consider extending nomination deadlines where candidates were unable to file papers due to law and order problems. Subsequently, the SEC revised the schedule and extended the nomination window in four urban local bodies, Kadapa, Tirupati, Rajampet and Mydukur. Punganur was not included.

Official records show that 32 ward members were elected unanimously, including 27 from the TD, two each from the BJP and Jana Sena, and one from the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). The remaining contests are in Wards 9, 11, 28 and 35.

In Tirupati, the electoral picture is different, with both the ruling alliance and the YSRC fielding candidates across all 66 divisions of the municipal corporation. A total of 543 nominations were filed for corporator posts, including 204 by the TD, 161 by the YSRC, 81 by Jana Sena and 15 by the BJP. Ten candidates are in the mayoral contest.


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